Lecture 13:
Philosophy of Science

An initial overview

Lecture
Week 11
Author

Dr. Gordon Wright

Published

January 22, 2024

Is Psychology a Science?

The Ongoing Debate

  • Positivism in Psychology: Traditional view supporting quantitative methods, treating human behavior as stable, measurable facts.
  • Qualitative Shift: A focus on dynamic, ever-changing aspects of human behavior, challenging the idea of fixed patterns, and possibly facts!
  • Source: (parker2011?)

The Role of Qualitative Research

  • Qualitative vs. Quantitative: The debate isn’t about the validity of quantification but the quality of its application in psychology.
  • Where is Psychology’s non-stick frying pan? (Banyard, 2015)
  • Advancing Scientific Debate: Qualitative research is at the forefront of discussions about the nature of scientific inquiry in psychology.
  • Source: (Parker, 2004)

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Kuhn - Structure

Paradigm Shifts

  • Thomas Kuhn’s Theory: Science progresses through paradigm shifts rather than linear accumulation of knowledge.

  • Application in Psychology: Shifts from behaviorism to cognitive psychology, and then to more integrated approaches.

Implications for Psychological Research

  • Changing Research Methods: Embracing diverse methodologies reflecting evolving paradigms in psychology.
  • Interdisciplinary Influence: Incorporating insights from philosophy, sociology, and neuroscience into psychological research.

Psychology as a ‘Soft Science’

  • Psychology compared to pre-scientific stages of sciences
  • The debate over applying ‘the scientific method’ in psychology
  • The importance of being phenomenon-centered and problem-centered
  • Misalignment of methods with research questions

Uher (2021)

Conclusion?

Psychology and Science

  • Dynamic and Evolving: Psychology, like other sciences, undergoes paradigm shifts and methodological evolution.
  • Beyond Traditional Boundaries: The discipline is increasingly recognizing the value of qualitative, subjective, and diverse approaches to understanding the human mind and behavior.

Karl Popper and Falsification

The Principle of Falsification

  • Karl Popper’s Contribution: Emphasized the importance of falsifiability in scientific theories.
  • Falsification vs. Verification: Popper argued that scientific theories can never be completely verified, but they can be falsified.
  • Impact on Psychology: Encourages rigorous testing of hypotheses and openness to disconfirming evidence in psychological research.

Critiques and Legacy

  • Practical Challenges: Difficulties in applying falsification principle in complex fields like psychology.
  • Enduring Influence: Popper’s ideas continue to influence scientific methodology and philosophical discussions in psychology.

Epistemology

Epistemology

  • Definition: The study of knowledge – its nature, origin, and limits.
  • Relevance to Psychology: Helps in understanding how we acquire knowledge about human behavior and mental processes.
  • How do we know what we know, or get to know something new?

Understanding the Ideographic/Nomothetic Divide

Ideographic Approach

  • Focus: Emphasizes the unique aspects of individual cases or phenomena.
  • Methodology: Often uses qualitative methods, such as case studies, to explore complex, subjective experiences.
  • Goal: To understand the depth and complexity of individual experiences.

Nomothetic Approach

  • Focus: Seeks to identify general laws and patterns that apply across multiple cases.
  • Methodology: Employs quantitative methods, like experiments and surveys, to gather data on larger populations.
  • Goal: To formulate generalizations and broad theories applicable to many.

Implications in Psychological Research

Balancing Perspectives

  • Integrating Approaches: Both ideographic and nomothetic methods offer valuable insights; combining them can lead to a more holistic understanding of psychological phenomena.
  • Challenges in Quantitative Research: The need to acknowledge and address the reflexive capacity of human beings and the meaningful nature of data from aggregated descriptions of behavior.
  • Innovative Research Possibilities: Opportunities for innovative research that addresses these challenges, respecting the particularities of individual cases within broader patterns.
  • (Robinson, 2012)

Why should we care about this question?

The Esteem of Science

  • Science’s high regard in society and academia
  • The assumption that the scientific method leads to reliable results
  • The challenge in defining ‘scientific method’ and its transferability

Chalmers, 2014 What is this thing called Science?

Conclusion: Rethinking Scientific Method in Psychology

  • Recognizing the influence of subjective experiences on observation
  • Understanding the interplay between facts, theory, and conceptual frameworks
  • The challenge of applying a rigid scientific method to human behavior and experiences

Abstract

  • Psychology’s struggle with foundational concepts: mind and behavior
  • Lack of unified theoretical framework
  • Classification as a ‘soft science’
  • Need for diverse methodologies and systematic integration
  • Galtonian nomothetic methodology’s limitations

[Uher, 2020]

Lack of Proper Terms and Definitions

  • Discordant and ambiguous definitions in psychology
  • Overlap between psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy
  • Proliferation of terms and constructs
  • Deeply fragmented theoretical landscape

[Uher, 2020]

Lack of Conceptual Integration

  • Diversity of epistemologies, paradigms, and methodologies
  • Absence of a unified theory in psychology
  • Challenges with evolutionary psychology as an integrative framework
  • Speculative nature of evolutionary explorations in psychology

[Uher, 2020]

Psychology as a ‘Soft Science’

  • Psychology compared to pre-scientific stages of sciences
  • The debate over applying ‘the scientific method’ in psychology
  • The importance of being phenomenon-centered and problem-centered
  • Misalignment of methods with research questions

[Uher, 2020]

Experience in Psychology

  • The dual aspects of experience: objective content and subjective apprehension
  • Contrast between natural sciences and psychological approaches
  • Psychology’s focus on immediate subjective experience
  • The role of agency, volition, value orientation, and teleology

[Uher, 2020]

Constructs in Science and Everyday Psychology

  • Challenges posed by the transient nature of experience
  • The interplay of constructs with everyday knowledge and language
  • The entification of constructs and overlooking their constructed nature
  • Differentiation between psychical and psychological phenomena

[Uher, 2020]

Psychology’s Exceptional Position

  • Psychology at the intersection of sciences and philosophy
  • Exploration of diverse phenomena across human life
  • Requirement for a plurality of methodologies and epistemologies
  • Psychology as a non-unitary science due to its wide-ranging study phenomena

[Uher, 2020]

Idiographic and Nomothetic Strategies

  • The uniqueness of immediate experience
  • The use of idiographic strategies for exploring individual cases
  • Limitations of Galtonian nomothetic methodology
  • The impact of natural-science principles on psychological research

[Uher, 2020]

Moving Beyond Conceptual Deadlock

  • Introduction of the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm (TPS-Paradigm)
  • Aiming for critical reflection and development of new theories
  • Integration of concepts from various disciplines
  • Focus on the individual as the central unit of analysis

[Uher, 2020]

Philosophical Framework of the TPS-Paradigm

  • Three sets of presuppositions about research on individuals
  • Human limitations in perception and conceptualization
  • Concept of individuals as complex, open, and nested systems
  • Application of complementarity in methodology

[Uher, 2020]

Metatheoretical Framework

  • Formalization of phenomena’s accessibility to human perception
  • Differentiation of various kinds of phenomena related to individuals
  • Integration and development of concepts across fields
  • Exploration of psychical phenomena and their connections

[Uher, 2020]

Methodological Framework

  • Concepts for matching methodology with phenomena
  • Development of methods for comparing individuals
  • Analysis of data generation and measurement practices
  • Application of metrological principles in psychological research

[Uher, 2020]

References

Banyard, P. (2015). Where is psychology’s non-stick frying pan? In BPS. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/where-psychologys-non-stick-frying-pan
Parker, I. (2004). Qualitative psychology: Introducing radical research. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Robinson, O. C. (2012). Looking back: A war of words. In BPS. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/looking-back-war-words
Uher, J. (2021). Psychology’s Status as a Science: Peculiarities and Intrinsic Challenges. Moving Beyond its Current Deadlock Towards Conceptual Integration. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 55(1), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09545-0

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